Author Bio

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Steven James is the national bestselling author of nine novels that have received wide critical acclaim from Publishers Weekly, New York Journal of Books, RT Book Reviews, Booklist, Library Journal and many others. He has won three Christy Awards for best suspense and was a finalist for an International Thriller Award for best original paperback. His psychological thriller The Bishop was named Suspense Magazine’s book of the year. Publishers Weekly calls him "[A] master storyteller at the peak of his game."

Steven is an active member of International Thriller Writers, the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and International Association of Crime Writers. He is also a contributing editor for Writer's Digest. He has a master's degree in storytelling and has taught writing and creative communication around the world. When he's not writing or speaking, you'll find him trail running, rock climbing, or drinking a dark roast coffee near his home in eastern Tennessee.

Editorial Reviews

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"In his latest Patrick Bowers thriller, Steven James pens another fast-paced thriller chock full of great characters, head-snapping plot twists, impeccable research, and a truly fun ride. Highly recommended. Not to be missed."-DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series.

"Checkmate is high tension all the way. The author writes with precision and incisiveness. Fast, sharp, and believable. Put it at the top of your list."-John Lutz, Edgar-award winning author of Frenzy

"A perfectly crafted hard-hitting, intense thriller that takes readers to the top of the cliff and dangles them over the edge. James is an author that every thriller reader should have on their bookshelf."-Suspense Magazine

The game ends now those words saddened me as did the title, Checkmate. Why? Because those words spell the end of Steven James most excellent Patrick Bowers series. Ive thoroughly enjoyed and been intrigued, horrified, and thrilled by every book in the series.

I love the way Patrick plays out his love for Lien-hua, Sometimes the most eloquent things are shared wihen youre not saying anything, and now she put her hand on mine and we sat together in silence, the unspoken language of the moment enveloping us. And when she makes him promise never to lie to her, I wondered if I would really be able to offer only the truth if it came to the place where I could offer her hope instead.

Weve learned so many lessons in relationships from Patricks interactions with those close to him. He opines, Tragedy can either send us spiraling of into our own private oblivion or it can draw us closer to other people. Tragedy drew him closer to Tessa, to Lien-hua, to Ralpheven to Margaret Wellington, his boss.

About his work, Patrick recalls, my mentor once told me that every dead end shows you more clearly the pattern of the labyrinth, that each one you encounter gives you one more piece of information thatll help you as you methodically fail your way to success. What successes might we have if we kept that as our viewpoint?

Weve watched Tessa grow uponce an angry, hurting young teen who inflicted pain on her own body by cutting to lessen the pain in her heart from her moms death from cancer. Now Tessa, eighteen, is on the verge of coming into her own as a woman. A soul is only set free when it becomes constrained by the bonds of love Intimacy is the license that you give to someone else to hurt you the most. And also to set you the most free.

Summing up his philosophy, Patrick muses, You strive for justice, you move toward the light when you can, and you shake off the darkness that clings to you from living on this fractured planet of lost dreams and sharp heartache. Because its also a place that hope calls home. Justice wrestles with the darkness and we are, each of us, caught up in the fight. We strive for the first, but have a weakness for the second and between them is a chasm that spans all of our souls.

And so, in my heart, and in the hearts of millions of fans, Patrick Bowers will continue to fight evil and make our world just a little bit better. Thanks, Steven, for following your gifts and giving us The Bowers Files. Ive loved the ride!

Youll want to read Checkmate to see the finish of the games and what happens to Patrick, Tessa, Ralph, Margaret, and the villains weve loved to hateBasque and Kurt Mason. A five-star book and series!

After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box. Italian proverb.

I was given a copy of Checkmate by Penguin Books for my candid review.

Patrick Bowers finally gets the bad guys and cements the relationship with his daughter! But...having struggled with Patrick & company throughout all these stories, I must say I have never read any stories with such gruesome and graphic violence in the portrayal of the crimes. At least the main characters struggles with moral and ethical issues.

Could this be the end to the Patrick Bowers files? Say it isn't so!!! Checkmate is indeed the last in the series but the good news is that it isn't a series that ends with a fizzle. It definitely goes out with a BANG!

I fell in love with this series right from the start so I am sad to see it end. One of the things that I really appreciated about Checkmate was that it didn't read like an ending. It continued to be a page-turner from the front to the back covers. I found myself holding my breath wondering just how Pat was going to get out of this newest situation. You would think that by the eighth book in the series the storyline would grow stale, but it didn't.

The Bowers Files series stretches over eight books, but in my opinion they can each be read as stand-alone titles. You'd miss out on a lot of heart pounding suspense but it can be done. Checkmate alludes to past episodes but the author fills in the blanks enough so the seasoned reader isn't bored with the details but the newby can follow along.

If you have become a fan of Steven James' work you'll be pleased to know that he has a new series in progress that is called The Jevin Banks Experience. The first two books have already been released and they are titled, Placebo and Singularity. It looks to be another award-winning series by James.

As expected, Steven James's protagonist, Patrick Bowers, explodes into the scene of another deviously planned out chaotic "game" of wits. Expect the unexpected from the first page to the last. A real winner of a final move for a masterfully writen series. Take the gambit and see who declares checkmate!